1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to radiant energy systems and, in particular, to stabilizing a line of sight of a radiant energy system. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for stabilizing a line of sight of a main beam of a radiant energy system using a reference beam that is inertially stabilized and generated outside of an optical path of the main beam.
2. Background
A radiant energy system may be any system capable of emitting a beam of radiant energy, receiving a beam of radiant energy, or both. Radiant energy may be the energy of electromagnetic radiation, which may take the form of visible light, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves, gamma rays, X-rays, thermal radiation, or some other form of electromagnetic radiation. Radiant energy systems may have various applications. Some examples of radiant energy systems include, but are not limited to, laser weapon systems, target tracking systems, and imaging systems.
The line of sight of a radiant energy system may be the path along which a beam is emitted by the radiant energy system, the path along which a beam is received by the radiant energy system, or both. Various factors may make stabilizing the line of sight of a radiant energy system more difficult than desired. These factors may include, but are not limited to, movement of the radiant energy system, movement of a platform on which the radiant energy system is mounted, movement of a target object being tracked by the radiant energy system, dynamic atmospheric effects, dynamics of the radiant energy system, other types of factors, or some combination thereof. As one example, movement of a vehicle on which a radiant energy system is mounted may cause vibration disturbances that affect the line of sight.
Some currently available systems for stabilizing the line of sight of a radiant energy system may increase the weight, size, or both of the radiant energy system more than desired. Further, some currently available systems for stabilizing the line of sight of a radiant energy system may be more complex and include a greater number of physical components than desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.